Hoisting bucket



' Au 12, 1930. l. w. MACY 1,772,777

HOI STING BUCKET Filed May 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Qwuentoi I-M "a c Aug. '12, 1930. w, M 1,772,777

HOIS'I'ING BUCKET Filed May 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I. w. MACY HOIS'I'ING BUCKET Aug. 12, 1930.

Filed May 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 12, 19311 ire ISHMAEL W. MACY, OF GALION, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE GALION IRON WORKS & MFG." 00., OF GALION, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO HOISTING BUCKET Application filed May 5, 1928. Serial No. 275,477.

This invention relates to hoisting buckets such as are used for the purpose of hoisting coal from a pit and discharging the coal into elevator bins, and particularly to those buckets which are closed by gates or doors at the lower end of the bucket pivoted to the body of the bucket and swinging inward to a closed position and outward to an open position. In this form of bucket, the doors are the material within the bucket when the bucket is unlatched and the doors or" the bucket are liable to close when the material has only been partly discharged.

An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide means for holding the doors open until all of the material has been discharged,

and specifically to provide adjustable means which will retard the closing 0]": the doors, thus permitting a :tull discharge of the contents of the bucket.

Another object is to provide means for latching the doors closed against the weight of the load, this means being releasable on contact of the latching means with the material in a bin into which the bucket is to discharge its contents.

Other objects will appear in the course ot the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an end elevation of a bucket constructed in accordance with my invention and when being hoisted in an empty condition with the doors closed;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof partly in section, the doors being shown as closed;

Figure .3 is a fragmentary vertical section through the cowl or hood of the bucks showing the means tor retarding the closing movement of the doors in the position taken when the doors are opened to discharge the contents of the bucket;

Figure 1 is a like view to Figure 3 but showing the position of the parts when the doors are fully closed, the bucket empty and being hoisted from the discharge point;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the lever or link at the top of the bucket;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the chain yoke;

opened by their own weight and the weight of Figure 7 is a plan view of the base plate and bracket for the operating arm;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the operating arm.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the bucket body which may be of any suitable construction and is formed with the end walls 11 and the side walls 12. The upper end of the bucket is upwardly and medially inclined and one-half of the bucket is closed by a wall 13 which constitutes a hood, the opposite half of the bucket being open at the top so as to receive material through this opening from a spout or like device. The bucket is provided on its ends with guide rollers 14 whereby the bucket may be guided up and down the framework of the pit into which the bucket moves for the purpose of being loaded and on which the bucket rests while beingloaded.

The bucket is braced internally by the vertical channel irons 15 extending upward to the extreme top of the bucket and ending beneath the top of the hood 13. The lower ends oi the end walls of the bucket are downward ly and medially inclined, as at 16. Pivoted to brackets 17 attached to the exterior of the side walls of the bucket adjacent the bottom thereof and to brackets 18 attached on the inside of the bucket are the doors 19. These doors 19 are urged to an open position by their own weight. The doors 19 are pivotally connected to the brackets 18 and 17 by angular members 20 which are riveted to the doors at the ends thereof and which are swingingly engaged with the pins 21 extending through the brackets and through the bucket walls. The members 20 are also provided with outwardly projecting pins 22, and pivotally engaged with these pins are the curved links 23 which extend upward and are connected to chainsfl l.

Thelinks 23 and chains 24 are only disposed upon one side of the bucket. These chains Eel-extend upward convergently and are connected to a yoke 25, to which in turn single chain 26 is connected. This passes over a sector-shaped rocker 27 pivoted on bracket 28 mounted on the upwardly inclined hood or wall 13 (see Figure 1). Pivoted to a plate or bracket 29 on the wall 13 is a member 30 constituting an arm. This member is hollow and carries a transverse pin 31, to which chain 26 is connected by link 32. This pin extends entirely through the arm and pivotally engaged with the outwardly projecting ends of the pin are the laterally disposed connected links 33 which extend upward on each side of the member 30.

Mounted upon the top of the bucket is a bracket 34, and pivotally mounted within this bracket is a link 35. This link 35 is slotted at one end, and extending into this link is an adjusting screw 36. Mounted upon the link and having a shank portion extending into the slot of the link is an adjustable bracket 37. The shank 38 of this bracket is engaged by the adjusting screw 36 and thus the bracket 37 may be adjusted toward or from the bracket 34:. The bracket 37 has a transverse pin 39, to which the links 33 are connected. A pulley 40 has the lower end of its frame pivotally connected to the link 35 by means of the pin 41. Thus the bucket is supported by the link 35, the bracket 34, the links 33, the member 30 and the chains 26 when the doors are closing or when closed and the bucket is being returned to the pit for reloadin lVhen the bucket is being hoisted out of the pit with a load, and on the outward trip to the point of discharge, the bucket and load is supported by the parts 35, 34, 33, 30, pin 42 and arm 53 projecting from the bracket 29. During this outward trip with the bucket loaded, the chains 26 are slack so that there is no resistance to the opening of the doors when the latch 62 strikes the pawl at the discharge point when the doors are released.

The member 30 is pivoted to the plate 29 at the upper corner of the member 30 by means of a pin 42, and under certain circumstances the links 33, as will be later stated, are disposed with their lower ends inward of the pivot pin 42 so that upward strain upon the links 33 acts to urge the arm or member 30 toward the bucket so that under these circumstances the weight of the bucket is supported by the bracket 34, the links 33, the member 30 and the pivot pin 42. The member 30 is formed on each of its side walls with lugs 43 within which stop screws 44 are disposed which may be adjusted inward or outward to limit the degree of inward movement of the lower end of the member 30.

Disposed inward of the wall or hood 13, and within the top of the bucket as a consequence, is a cylinder 45 constituting a dash pot; Operating within this cylinder is a plunger 46 having a plunger rod 47 extending out from the cylinder in a guide 48, the outward movement of this plunger rod being limited by an adjustment screw 49 extending through the end of the guide 48. The plunger rod 47 is provided with oppositely disposed pinsaeengaging with an armor lever 51.

This is bifurcated at its inner end to embrace the plunger rod 47 and also slotted to embrace the pins 50. This lever extends into the interior of the hollow arm 30 and is pivoted at 52 to a bracket 53 projecting from the plate 29. Pivotally mounted upon the extremity of the lever or arm 51 is a latch 5a, which latch is angular in form and slotted to fit over the eX- tremity of the arm and is provided with an opening for the passage of an adjusting screw 55.

The nose of the latch extends downward and inward and the nose of the latch may swing inward but it is limited in its outward movement by the screw The pin 31 extends transversely through the member 30 and when the doors are closed (on outward trip only), the pin 31 is dispose-cl inward of the lever 51 and of the nose of the latch 5%. Therefore, in order for the arm 30 to swing outward upon its pivot, the pin 31 must pass the obstruction offered by the latch and before the pin 31 can do this it must raise the outer end of the lever 51 and cause the inner end of the lever to force the plunger it down into the cylinder against the pressure of the liquid. within this cylinder F or the purpose of retracting the plunger to its initial position and retracting the arm 51 to its initial position, I provide a spring 51 which is connected to the arm 51 and to the wall 13 which constitutes the hood of the bucket, this spring acting, atter the plunger has been depressed by the passage of the pin 31 around the latch 5a, to return the plunger to its initial position. it will be understood that the cylinder is formed with a by-pass 45 whereby the liquid within the cylinder may pass from one end of the cylinder into the other end of the cylinder as the plunger shifts through the cylinner. The effective area of this by-pass is controlled by means of an adjusting screw 45" to thus provide for a greater or less im )ediment to the escape of the liquid from in front of the plunger.

For the purpose of holding the doors closed until the bucket reaches the point where the doors are to be opened to discharge the contents of the bucket, I provide the latch 56 which is pivoted on a pin 57, this pin being mounted upon a bifurcated bracket 58 attached to one of the doors 19. The other door is provided with an outwardly projecting, bifurcated bracket 59 having a pin 60. The latch is angular in form and is provided at one end witl the upwardly extending heel or detent shoulder 61. The opposite end of the latch extends downward and constitutes a relatively fiat foot 62. The bracket 58 is provided with an ear and the latch carries an adjusting screw (i l which abuts against this ear 63 so as to limit the upward movement of the latch, that is, its latching movement.

Assuming Quit the doors are latched as illustrated in Figure'2, and the arm 30 lowclosing of the doorsls restrained or retarded ered, as in Figure 3, which has occurred when the bucket is loading in the pit, then when this bucket is lowered into a bin, the foot 62 will strike upon the coal in this bin and the l oot will move upward, thus releasing the latch, allowing both doors to swing open under the weight of the coal within the bucket and their own weight. As the doors swing openby gravity, the links 23 will move downward and outward, exerting strain upon the chains 24 and 26. The chain 26 will move downward, swinging the arm 30 upwardand outward upon its pivot until a line connecting the center of pins 31 and 39 will pass above the center of pin 42, whereupon the weight of the bucket, transmitted through the parts 35, 33 and 31 tends to force the doors shut, but this action is stopped by the latch 54. The doors are now opened fully and the bucket discharges.

l/Vhen the bucket is hoisted out of the bin and as soon as the door-s have cleared the material discharged from the bucket, an upward pull will be exerted upon the link 35 by pin 41, tending to turn the link 35 upon its pivot on bracket 34 and draw the pin 39 upward and toward the pulley 40. However, until the pin 31 has passed the latch 54 of the lever 51, the arm 30 cannot swing outward and the doors cannot close. Until the pin 31 passes the latch 54, the movement of the arm 30, and consequently the closing movement of the doors, is resisted by the piston or plunger 46 operating in the cylinder This movement is, therefore, slow and as a consequence the and the doors, instead of swinging forcibly to a closed position, will close relatively slowly until the pin 31 passes the latch 54, thus permitting all of the contents of the bucket to be discharged therefrom before the doors close.

It will be noted that while the retarding mechanism causes the relatively slow initial closing movement of the doors that the doors will close rapidly just as soon as the pin 31 has passed the latch 54, whereupon the arm 30 will swing upward quickly, placing full strain upon the chain 26 and closing the doors quickly in their final movement.

When the doors have been fully closed, the

arm 30 will be swung outward to the position shown in Figure 4 and the whole weight of the bucket will be supported by the link 35 and on one side by the bracket 34 and on the I other side by the links 33, the arm 30 and the chains which hold the bucket doors closed.

It will be seen that a bucket constructed in accordance with this invention is automatic in its action as far as the opening of the doors is concerned, and when the bucket is lowered into a bin, and that as the bucket is raised out of the bin the doors will automatically close, but that this closing movement of the doors will be resisted or retarded to permit the full discharge of the contents of the ask t;- Tbe all, 13, it ill be acted, vent te av heal er o l e upper parties of the bucket and pre e s materia dis har d t u spoi in the top 1 he u e rom e erfie ing 2 boun in out i he tee 2 the ucke o the s de eppes t e spout.

t s m be n e teed tha the basket as e e i re st ed i le e ed -o a pi to be e h n ra se n a oa e con ion from the pit, carried to a bin and then Iowa ered into the bin and the contents of the bucket discharged, whereupon the bucket is a n r e n an em y conditio and turned in this empty condition but with the or c s d to t e Pit r loading I he P the e ls 14. st up n a g idi g nd pp r i ra hi h t u uppo s the ei ht f th b qk The d r r th bucket t hi me r clu d a d, s the k t Comes to e th h ist ng cable i slackened, allowing the pulley 4Q to descend and the heavy arm 30 to swing down to the P i ho in ful l nes n Fig re 3 Thus, as shown in Figure 3, the pin 31 is inward of the pivot pin 42. When the full bucket is hoisted from the pit, the weight of the bucket and load is supported by the cars 34, m mber 5., i k .3, P 3 a m 30, B n 42, bracket 53, and plate 29.

Of course, as before stated, the doors of the bucket are closed and hence the chains 26 and 24 are slackened, The hoisting bucket is raised out of the pit and moved over the bin or other point of discharge and lowered. l/Vhen the bucket is lowered into the bin, the shoe 62, as previously explained, releases the latch 56 and this releases the doors so that they can swing open under the action of v y ae i 'Q are S il i r he op ned y h .0 1 fie in o h n Qp n d. b yond a given point, the doors tighten the chains and set up enough strain on the chains to lift or swing outward the heavy arm 30 and this carries the pin 31 outward to such a sht ha a ine onnec i g the en ers of pins 31 and 39 will pass above the center of pin 42. The; weight of the bucket then acts to cause the pin 31 to start swinging up and outward but this is retarded by the fact that the pin 31 must pass the. latch 54 and, of course, this requires the depression of the;

p n r 46 n h di p ac m nts-0f h liq id within the dash pot. As soon as the pin 31 has passed the latch 54, the doors will close quickly, as before stated,

The plunger 46 moves downward with-in distance suflicient to permit the cylinder a the pin 31, in the effortof the chain 26 and, the links 33 to straighten out, to escape past the end of the latch 54. This can only be downward a suflicient distance withinthe y der; :5- he 10928 lass, q ick yaccomplished when the plunger has moved hen n ne un il han; ll

' It is to be particularly noted that the sector-shaped pulley 27 holds the chain 26 outward so that its pull is upward and outward on the pin 31 and the lower ends of the links 33 and that strain placed upon the pulley or sheave 40 and, therefore, lifting strain placed upon the lever 35, tends to straighten out the chains 26 and the links 33. The whole weight of the bucket is not brought immediately upon the latch 54: or upon the lever 51 at the beginning of the lifting movement for the reason that the pin 31 is at this time, and while the bucket travels all the way from the pit to the bin, inward of the pivot pin 42 for the heavy arm 30 and the upward pull on the links 33 is inward of this center -22 so that the weight of the bucket at this time would not by itself act to turn the weighted arm 30 from the position shown in Figure 3 to the open or raised position, but that the weighted arm 30-is drawn from its lowered position outward against the action of the latch 5-4; by the pull exerted upon the chain 26 by the weight of the bucket doors until such time as the pivot pin 31 has slipped outward beyond a position of alignment with the i rot pin 42. Then the whole weight of the lifting movement comes upon the latch 5st and soon as the pin 31 has passed this latch 54, the doors will close quickly, as before stated.

While the foregoing description refers to the invention only for use in connection with the handling of coal,'it is, of course, to be run derstood that it is not limited to such use but is applicable also for use in handling, stone and other materials or substances.

While I have illustrated certain details of construction and arrangement of parts, I do not wish to be limited to these as they might be modified in many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim t V V e, m 7 1 A hoisting bucket having a swinging discharge door at its lower end opening under the action of gravity, means operable by LL, 1- a1 thew ight ot tneouciret in suspension for T automatically closing the-door, a latch holdlng the door closed, latch releaslng means to permit the door to open, and means gradually retarding yieldably permitting movement of the door.

-2. A hoisting bucket having a swinging discharge door at its lower end opening under the action of gravity, a latch holding the door closed but releasable to permit the door to open, bucket-supporting means including the closing links operatively connected to the door acting to urge the door to a closed position as the bucket 1S hoisted, and means retarding but yieldingly permitting the closing movement I of the door.

3. A hoisting bucket having a swinging discharge door at its lower end opemng under the action of grav1ty,.a-latch holdmg the door closed but releasable to permit the door to open, bucket-supporting means including links operatively connected to the door acting to urge the door to a closed position as the bucket is hoisted, and means retarding the initial closing movement but yieldingly permitting the movement of the door towards its closing position and permitting a rapid final movement of the door to a closed position.

l. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors at its lower end opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket tending to close said doors when strain is placed upon the supporting means, releasable latching means holding the doors closed, and means retarding but yieldingly permitting the initial closing movement of the doors.

5. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors at its lower end opening under the action of gravity, a latch holding the doors closed and releasable to permit the doors to open, bucket-supporting means operatively connected to the doors to urge the doors to a closed position as the supporting means and the bucket are raised, and means retarding the initial closing movement of the doors but permitting a quick final movement of the doors to a closed position.

6. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors at its lower end opening under the action of gravity, a latch holding the doors closed and releasable upon contact with the material onto which the bucket is lowered to permit the doors to open, bucket-hoisting means operatively connected to the doors to urge them to a closed position as the hoisting means is raised, means yieldingly resisting the losing movement of the doors including a plunger, and a cylinder within which the plunger operates.

7. A hoisting bucket having swinging dis charge doors at its lower end opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket having limited vertical movement with relation to the bucket and operatively connected to the doors to urge them to a closed position, releasable means for latching the doors in a closed position, and means holding the doors in an open position for a predetermined time and then permitting the doors to close under the action of said supporting means.

8. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket having limited vertical movement with relation to the bucket, flexible elements operatively connecting said supporting means to the doors to urge the doors to a closed position as the bucket is raised, releasable means latchin the doors in a closed position, a relatively heavy arm pivoted at its upper end to the bucket and forming part of the flexible means connecting the hoisting means to the bucket doors, hoisting strain applied to the hoisting means and to said flexible elements acting to urge the free end of said heavy member outward, and means resisting the outward movement of the free end of said member until the member has reached a predetermined position and then permitting themember to freely swing outward and upward.

9. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket having limited vertical movement with relation to the bucket, flexible elements operatively connecting said supporting means to the doors to urge the doors to a closed position as the bucket is raised, releasable means latching the doors in a closed position, a relatively heavy arm pivoted at its J upper end to the bucket and forming part of the flexible means connecting the hoisting meansto the bucket doors, hoisting strain applied to the hoisting means and to said flexible elements acting to urge the free end of aid heavy member outward, and means resisting the outward movement of the free end of said member until the member has reached a predetermined position and then permitting the member to freely swing outward and upward, said means including a lever operatively engaged by said element in its upward swinging movement, and a plunger to which the other end of said lever is connected, the plunger operating within a dash pot.

10. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors opening under the action ofgravity, supporting means for the bucket having limited vertical movement with relation to the bucket and operatively connected to the doors to urge them to a closed position, releasable means latching the doors in closed position, and means retarding the initial closing movement of the doors including a member operatively connected to the doors and to the supporting means and movable in one cli- -rection as the supporting means moves upward relative to the bucket, and gradually yielding means impeding the upward movement of said member.

11. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket having limited vertical movement with relation to the bucket and operatively connected to the doors to urge them to a closed position, releasable means latching the doors in closed position, means retarding the closing movement of the doors including a member operatively connected to the doors and to the bucket supporting means and movable in one direction as the supporting means moves upward relative to the bucket, a lever against which the member is engaged, and means yieldingly resisting the movement of the lever.

12. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket having limited vertical movement with relation to the bucket and operatively connected to the doors to urge them to a-closed position, releasable means latching the doors in closed position, means retarding the closing movement of the doors including a member operatively connected to the doors and to the bucket supporting means and m vable in one direction as the supporting means moves upward relative to the bucket, a lever against which the member is engaged, and means yieldingly resisting the movement of the lever, the member becoming disengaged from said lever upona predetermined movement of the lever to permit the doorsto close quickly under the strain applied to thebucket' supporting means.

13. A hoisting bucket having swinging dis charge doors opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket, releasable means holding the doors in a closed position, means urging the doors to a closed position comprising a chain oonneted to the doors, links operatively connected to the bucket supporting means and said chain, strain on the supporting means tending to pull on and straighten out the chain and links, and slowly yielding means acting to impede the straightening out of the chain and links and the closing movement of the doors.

1%. A hoisting bucket having swinging discharge doors opening under the action of gravity, supporting means for the bucket in cluding a lever pivoted at one end to the top of the bucket, releasable means for latching the bucket doors in a closed position against the weight of the load, means acting to u the doors to a closed position when strain is placed upon the bucket supporting means into the eluding a chain operatively connects-a bucket doors, a member pivoted to wall of the bucket at its upper end, links otally connecting said lever to said member below its point of pivotal connection to the bucket. the chain being operatively con" to said pivoted member, a pin extending across said plvoted member, a lever having one end projecting beyond the pivotal said member and operatively o M pin, a plunger to which the other end of the lever is connected, a dash pot within which the plunger is disposed, said lever and plunger resisting the upward and out ard swinging movement of said pivoted member under strain applied to the supporting means until the pin has passed the extremity of the lever, the extremity oi the lever havingthereon a pivoted latch freely movable downward to permit the pin on the pivoted member to pass the latch upon movement of the pivotal member but resisting the upward movement of the pin until 'the downward and inward the lever and the plunger have moved to a predetermined extent.

15. A hoisting bucket having swinging Cl1S-' charge doors opening under the action of 5 gravity, releasable means normally holi the doors closed, a lever pivoted at one end to the upper end of the bucket, means for urging the doors to a closed position ineluding a chain operatively connected to the V dpors, a pulley moun ed upon'the side wall of the bucket over which said chain pass: v relatively heavy member pivoted to the side wall of the bucket at its upper corner, the member being hollow and having a transverse pin with which said chain is connected. the pin being disposed adjacent the inner edge of said member, links pivoted to said lever and to said pin strain upon the lever acting to shift the links outward and upward and exert strain on them, means yieldingly resisting the outward and upward movement of said pivoted member comprising a lever having a pivoted latch at its end with which the pin on said member is adapted to engage, a plunger with which the inner end or" the lever is engaged, a cylinder within which the plunger operates, the cylinder constituting a dash pot, and a spring acting to return the plunger to its initial position, the extremity 0 of the lever having a latch with which the pin engages the latch permitting the free downward movement of the pin to a position beneath the latch but resisting upward movement of the pin until after the lever has moved a predetermined distance.

16. A hoisting bucket having a swinging door at its discharge end opening under the action of gravity. a latch disposed exteriorly of the lower end of the bucket and holding 40 the door closed but releasable upon contact with material to permit the door to open, bucket supporting means including links operatively connected to the door and acting to urge the door to a closed position as the bucket is hoisted and means retarding but yieldingly permitting" the closing of the door.

17. A hoisting bucket having a pair or" swinging discharge doors at its lower end ppening under the action of gravity support- 7 r '50" iiig means for the bucket tending to close said doors when strain is placed upon the supporting means, an angular latch pivotally mounted upon one of said doors and having a latching shoulder operatively engaging the other door, the latch having a foot normally extending downward below the bucket and adapted to be raised by contact with material to thus release the latch and permit the doors to open.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ISHMAEL W. MACY. 

